Eagles seek 7th straight win while Rams try to keep pace in crowded NFC West race
Philadelphia (8-2) at Los Angeles Rams (5-5)
Sunday, 8:20 p.m. EST, NBC/Peacock
BetMGM NFL odds: Eagles by 3.
Against the spread: Eagles 6-4; Rams 4-6.
Series record: Eagles lead 23-20-1.
Last meeting: Eagles beat Rams 23-14 in Inglewood, Calif. on Oct. 8, 2023.
Last week: Eagles beat Washington 26-18; Rams beat New England 28-22.
Eagles offense: overall (5), rush (1), pass (22), scoring (7).
Eagles defense: overall (1), rush (7), pass (2), scoring (6).
Rams offense: overall (17), rush (26), pass (T-7), scoring (21).
Rams defense: overall (23), rush (18), pass (22), scoring (22).
Turnover differential: Eagles plus-2; Rams plus-4.
Eagles player to watch
RB Saquon Barkley. Barkley combined for 198 scrimmage yards and two scores, rushing 26 times for 146 yards (5.6 average) while adding two receptions for 52 yards against Washington. With 1,137 rushing yards through 10 games, Barkley only trails Baltimore’s Derrick Henry for the NFL lead. He had his sixth 100-plus yard rushing game this season, which is the most in the NFL.
Rams player to watch
S Kam Kinchens. The rookie third-round pick from Miami had eight tackles, one tackle for loss, an interception and a forced fumble against the Patriots as he continues to come on strong. Kinchens has three picks in the past three games.
Key matchup
Eagles QB Jalen Hurts vs. Rams’ defensive line. Hurts shredded Los Angeles for 303 yards passing and 72 yards rushing last season despite the presence of superstar DT Aaron Donald. After Donald retired, the Rams turned to a committee approach to get after the passer, and it has worked with rookie OLB Jared Verse and DT Braden Fiske fitting in well next to second-year OLB Byron Young and DT Kobie Turner. But they can only unleash their excellent pass rush skills by limiting Philadelphia on early downs. Hurts has been at his dual-threat best over the past five games, accounting for 15 total touchdowns (six passing, nine rushing) against two turnovers.
Key injuries
Eagles defensive end Bryce Huff had surgery on his left wrist on Thursday, a move that could allow him to return toward the end of the season. … WR DeVonta Smith (hamstring) was ruled out on Friday. … Rams RT Rob Havenstein (ankle) got in two limited practices this week but is doubtful to play. Havenstein sat out the previous two games because of the ailment.
Series notes
The Eagles have won all three games in Los Angeles since the Rams moved back in 2016. … Overall, Philadelphia has won seven of the past eight. The only setback came in Week 2 of the 2020 pandemic season.
Stats and stuff
Barkley has passed 100-plus scrimmage yards in eight of 10 games. That is tied with LeSean McCoy (2011) and Brian Westbrook (2007) for the most by an Eagle through 10 games. His 198 yards were his second most as an Eagle (199 in Week 9). … The Eagles have allowed two passing touchdowns during their winning streak. Only one opponent has topped 200 passing yards against them in this stretch, with Cincinnati throwing for 222 in Week 8. … Hurts leads all NFL quarterbacks with 11 touchdown runs and is second only to Henry’s 13 scores for the Ravens. … WR A.J. Brown leads the league in receptions of 30 yards or longer. He is averaging 18.7 yards per catch, the best mark of any player with at least 30 grabs. … Even before he hurt his wrist, Huff struggled in his first season in Philadelphia with just 2 1/2 sacks and four quarterback hits. His snap count has dipped since he was injured ahead of a game earlier this month against Jacksonville. Huff had 17 1/2 sacks in four seasons with the Jets before he signed a three-year, $51 million free-agent deal with the Eagles. … Philadelphia has run for at least 150 yards and two touchdowns in five straight games, something it hadn’t accomplished since 1949. … Rams WR Puka Nacua caught his first touchdown of the season in New England. He has at least seven receptions and 98 yards in three of his past four games, with only a second-quarter ejection in Seattle having limited Nacua since he returned from a knee injury. … WR Cooper Kupp has 614 receptions through his first 98 games, which is fourth most in NFL history through 100 games. Julio Jones (619) is third. … RB Kyren Williams averaged a season-high 5.7 yards per carry, finishing with 86 yards on 15 attempts versus the Patriots. … Verse has 11 tackles for loss and 4 1/2 sacks through his first 10 games. Verse is pressuring the quarterback on 20.2% of pass rush snaps, which ranks second in the league overall. … The Rams were 2 of 8 (25%) on third down against New England, their third straight game converting 25% or worse. … QB Matthew Stafford has not been sacked in each of Los Angeles’ past three wins.
Fantasy tip
Don’t be discouraged using Stafford, Kupp and Nacua against Philadelphia’s pass defense. All three put up solid fantasy numbers in last season’s meeting, even as the Eagles sat on the ball for nearly 38 minutes. Stafford had 222 yards and two scores, finding Kupp eight times for 118 yards and Nacua seven times for 71 yards and a touchdown, so they’ll find ways to produce.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
By The Associated Press
